LAS VEGAS – In arguably the deepest and most competitive division in the UFC, Donald Cerrone is making it harder and harder to keep him out of title talk.

The fast-rising contender moved to 4-0 in the UFC with a dominant first-round submission victory over previously surging Dennis Siver.

It was the featured fight on the preliminary card of UFC 137, which took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. It was one of two bouts that aired on Spike TV following a four-bout Facebook stream.

With a clear height and reach advantage, the well-rounded “Cowboy” decided to trade fire with the German striker. And Cerrone’s plan paid off; the former WEC contender staggered Siver with a shin-to-chin head kick and then popped him with a leg-wobbling punch.

Siver briefly survived the onslaught, but moments later, Cerrone dropped him with a big right hook, followed him to the mat, and then tapped him out with a rear-naked choke.

The end came at 2:22 mark of the opening round.

“I’m super happy,” Cerrone said. “I’m just here to keep fighting. Hell, I want a fight in December. If I can do that, it’d be great.”

Cerrone (17-3 MMA 4-0 UFC) moves to 6-0 over his past six fights, all of which have come in the past 13 months. Siver (19-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) suffers just the second loss of his current eight-fight UFC stint.

Palaszewski makes quick work of Griffin

After a long wait for his UFC debut, Bart Palaszewski made the most of it, and he blasted fellow featherweight Tyson Griffin with a first-round flurry that set up a knockout victory.

After the night’s previous four fights all went to a decision, things began just innocently with the night’s fifth bout. But just a couple minutes into the fight, Palaszewski connected on a pair of left hooks – including one that landed behind the ear – that left Griffin on shaky legs.

Palaszewski followed him to the fence, and with Griffin trapped, he ate countless shots. Griffin did his best to cover up, but Palaszewski’s quick hands ultimately got through his defenses, and a vicious left-right combination dropped the Xtreme Couture fighter and prompted the referee’s intervention.

The end came at the 2:45 mark of the opening round.

“It was an emotional fight for me,” Palaszewski said. “It took 10 years to get here, and it was a long road. Now that I’m here, I’m here to stay. My strength hasn’t gone done, but my speed has gone up. I saw him stumble, and I saw my opportunity, so I took a deep breath and went after him.”

Palaszewski (36-14 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a former WEC fighter whose UFC debut was delayed by injuries, moves to 5-1 over his past six fights. Griffin (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC), a onetime top lightweight contender, has lost four of his past five.

Vera narrowly survives Marshall’s late rally

Brandon Vera earned the decision, but Eliot Marshall was far closer to winning the fight.

Still, Marshall’s late rally wasn’t enough to overcome his the early hole he dug, and Vera, who said he broke his arm in the final minute of the fight, saved his job – again – for a close decision victory.

Vera controlled the action from the clinch, and he fended off takedown attempts from Marshall, who briefly staggered the former heavyweight contender with a solid flurry of punches. But Vera did damage with knees, and his striking proved crisper in the opening round.

The tempo was much the same in the second, and Marshall failed on takedown attempts while Vera dictated the flow of the fight.

But things got interesting in an action-packed third round. Marshall staggered his opponent with a left-right combination, and when Vera clung to a knee, he attacked the dazed fighter with more punches. Even as Vera got back to his feet, Marshall popped him again with punches. He ultimately forced the fight to the mat in the final minute, and when a rear-nake-choke attempt failed, he transitioned to an armbar that apparently broke Vera’s arm. Still, the fight didn’t tap, and the the fight went to the scorecards.

Although he had victory within his grasp, Marshall suffered the tough-luck unanimous-decision loss via 29-28 scores.

“It was a must win for both of us,” Vera said. “I wish my performance was better. I was trying to get a knock out, but it wasn’t happening.”

Vera (12-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) only got the UFC 137 booking because a January loss to Thiago Silva was overturned to a no-contest when the Brazilian failed a drug test. With what would have been his third straight loss, Vera received his walking papers, which were rescinded upon the failed test. As it stands, Vera now picks up his first victory in more than two years.

Marshall (10-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) falls to 0-2 in his latest UFC stint.

Nijem dominates Downes in lightweight return

He didn’t get the finish, but after returning to the lightweight division, “TUF 13″ welterweight runner-up Ramsey Nijem put a beating on Danny Downes.

Nijem jumped out to a quick lead with lunging jabs that landed flush. He then scored a drag-takedown and took his opponent’s back for a rear-naked-choke attempt that Downes only narrowly escaped.

Nijem again threw leather in the second, but after trying to force another takedown, Downes caught him in a crucifix that became an inverted triangle. But it slipped off completely, and any Downes’ offense soon slipped away altogether. Nijem subsequently swarmed and dominated the ground action with ground and pound from top position to take a 2-0 lead through two rounds.

The third round was much of the same, and Nijem controlled the action from dominant positions. He was most effective with back mount, from which he unloaded bruising and bloodying shots through the final round.

“He did exactly what I thought he was going to do,” Downes said. “He executed his game plan to perfection.”

Downes took an awful beating in the performance, but to his credit, he never tapped out when he had every opportunity to do so. Instead, he suffered a unanimous-decision loss via ugly 30-25, 30-26 and 30-27 scores.

“I
worked hard with my camp,” Nijem said. “I have the best grappling and striking
coaches. I felt relaxed out there and had a blast. It meant a lot for me
to out and compete with top-level athletes.”

Nijem (5-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) picks up his first official UFC win with the performance. Downes (8-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) fails to claim his for the second time.

GSP-backed Carmont dominated Camozzi

With a celebrity endorsement from UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, newcomer Francis Carmont come to the UFC with heavy expectations. And he lived up to them with a dominant performance against UFC middleweight returnee Chris Camozzi.

Carmont, a Tristar Gym fighter, took the first round with a takedown and effective work from the clinch. And in the second, with Camozzi slowing, he took advantage with effective knees from the clinch and a huge high-crotch bodyslam that forced a wince from his opponent when he crashed into the mat. Even when he did he get back up, Camozzi was dropped with a right uppercut and a left hook that Carmont timed perfectly.

Camozzi survived the round, and he landed some third-round punches that briefly brought about a second wind. But Carmont reclaimed the reins and continued with a well-rounded attack. Camozzi’s best shot at victory came with a late-fight kimura attempt, but it was cut short by the fight’s final horn.

“I just wasn’t able to pull the trigger on him,” Camozzi said. “His distance really threw me off the entire bout.”

In the end, it was a lopsided unanimous decision for Carmont via 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 scores.

“Chris is a tough guy, but this is what I do, and I do it well,” he said. “I’m ready for my next fight in a few months. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.”

Carmont (17-7 MMA, 1-0 UFC) now has won six straight fights. Camozzi (15-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who returned to the UFC after a one-fight stint with Shark Fights, falls to 1-2 over his past three.

Stark outwrestles fellow newcomer Jacoby

In a clash of unbeaten middleweight newcomers, Clifford Starks’ wrestling proved the difference-maker in the night’s largely uninspired curtain-jerker.

Successful on all three takedown attempts and with his opponent unable to return to his feet even once, the former Arizona State wrestler earned a shutout unanimous-decision victory via 30-27 scores.

Both fighters were tentative in the first, though Jacoby appeared more comfortable in the boxing-heavy frame. But thanks to an early takedowns and a controlling top game in the next two rounds, Starks easily cruised to a UFC-debut victory.

“It felt amazing being out there, and it was a great way
to make my UFC debut,” he said. “It definitely brought my confidence up. I was
going for the knockout, but this was great too. I’ll take it.”

Starks (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who took the fight on just eight days’ notice, picks up his second win 14 days and his fifth of 2011. Jacoby (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffers the first loss of his 11-month career.